25.03.2020 – The Disaster Management Act, 2005 was invoked in India, for the first time, to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic that was then in its initial stages of spreading. LOCKDOWNS varied in scope and nature, depending on the situation on the ground. Disasters are testing times for institutions and individuals, processes and procedures, and policies […]
Read more "Examination of Disasters"Unfortunately, there is no substantive domestic legislation or sector-specific regulations which may throw light upon the issue of whether banks are responsible for loss of articles placed inside the locker. This requires factual findings on knowledge of the contents of the locker; or whether the locker holder had prepared any receipt or inventory of the […]
Read more "The Hurt Locker"The provisions of Section 89 of The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 must be understood in the backdrop of longstanding proliferation of litigation in Civil Courts, which has placed undue burden on the judicial system, forcing speedy justice to become a casualty. The purpose, being sacrosanct and imperative for effecting timely justice in Indian Courts, […]
Read more "Section 89 of The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908"Two-Judge Bench in ABL International Ltd. v. Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, (2004) 3 SCC 553 analyzed a long line of precedent [K.N. Guruswamy, AIR 1954 SC 592; Gujarat State Financial Corporation, (1983) 3 SCC 379; Gunwant Kaur, (1969) 3 SCC 769] to conclude, Writs under Article 226 are maintainable for asserting contractual rights […]
Read more "Writ Jurisdiction in Contractual Arena I"“Inheritance is in some sort a legal and fictitious continuation of the personality of the dead man for the representation is in some sort identified by the law with him who he represents.” In Chiranjilal Shrilal Goenka, (1993) 2 SCC 507 the primary question arose, whether an Arbitrator appointed by Court, by consent of parties, […]
Read more "The Proof of Valid Wills III"See, Bennion on Statutory Interpretation, 5th Edition. The concept of ‘absurdity’ in the context of interpretation of statutes is construed to include any result which is unworkable, impracticable, illogical, futile or pointless, artificial, or productive of a disproportionate counter mischief. Logic referred to herein is not formal or syllogistic logic, but acceptance that enacted law […]
Read more "Cadaveric Consequences in Interpretation"We may refer to Division Bench Judgment of Nagpur High Court reported in Bipin Singh Choudhary, AIR 1945 Nagpur, Oudh, Peshawar & Sind 104 where Division Bench consisted of Justice Vivian Bose. The ratio is, in event people holding public office abuse their position, it becomes a matter of great public concern. We fully endorse […]
Read more "Compensatory Jurisprudence of Constitutional Courts XI : Custodial Violence I"My Lord, Appeal under Section 37(1)(c) would be maintainable against an Order refusing to condone delay in filing an Application under Section 34? Yes. It is important to note, the expression “setting aside or refusing to set aside” an Arbitral Award has to be read with the expression “under Section 34”. A refusal to set […]
Read more "Section 37 of The Arbitration Act II"Trial Court completely overlooked and failed to appreciate statutory presumption drawn under Section 118 and Section 139, a point of law notably crystalized in Rohitbhai Jivanlal Patel v. State of Gujarat, (2019) 18 SCC 106. Trial Court ought to have presumed, cheque was issued as consideration for a legally enforceable debt, once signatures were admitted. […]
Read more "Rebuttable Presumption III"“It cannot be disputed that a person in possession of land in the assumed character of owner and exercising peaceably the ordinary rights of ownership has a perfectly good title against all the world but the rightful owner. And if the rightful owner does not come forward and assert his title by the process of […]
Read more "The True Owner"Hakeem Khan v. State of Madhya Pradesh, (2017) 5 SCC 719 considered powers of Appellate Court for interference in cases where acquittal is recorded by Trial Court. It was held, so long as view of Trial Court can be reasonably formed, regardless of whether High Court agrees with same or not, verdict of Trial Court […]
Read more "Illegal Gratification II"A transaction which is sham or collusive would only create an illusion that money has been disbursed to a borrower with the object of receiving consideration – when in fact the parties have entered into the transaction with a different or an ulterior motive. In other words, the real agreement between the parties is something […]
Read more "Sham Transactions"The Autobiography of a Half-Baked Indian. That’s what I ought to call my life’s story. The Great Indian Rooster Coop. Every evening on the train out of Surat, where they run the world’s biggest diamond-cutting and polishing business, the servants of diamond merchants are carrying suitcases full of cut diamonds that they have to give […]
Read more "The White Tiger"State of Gujarat v. Shri Ambica Mills Ltd., (1974) 4 SCC 656 has laid down certain principles relating to under-inclusive and over-inclusive classification. This is, no doubt, apart from holding, a law which contravenes fundamental rights of citizens may continue to be valid as regards non-citizens [See, Bennett Coleman v. Union of India, (1972) 2 SCC 788]. […]
Read more "The Revival of Ray LX"A person does not commit contempt if, during the pendency of certain proceedings, he takes recourse to other judicial proceedings open to him, even though the latter proceedings put the other party at a loss [Pratap Singh v. Gurbaksh Singh, 1962 SCR Supp. (2) 838; Radhey Lal v. Niranjan Nath, (2004) 5 SCC 119; Mehar […]
Read more "Contempt Jurisdiction VII"The Constitution Bench in Jammu & Kashmir v. Triloki Nath Khosa, (1974) 1 SCC 19 considered the question, whether persons drawn from different sources and integrated into one class can be classified on the basis of their Educational Qualifications for promotion. The Constitution Bench answered the question in the affirmative holding, providing for Graduates to […]
Read more "Educational Qualifications in Promotion I / The Revival of Ray LIX"It is settled law, only the ratio decidendi is binding as a precedent. Thus, in B. Shama Rao v. Union Territory, Pondicherry, (1967) 2 SCR 650 Majority Judgment of Shelat J, speaking for himself and other Two Learned Judges held: “It is trite to say, a decision is binding not because of its conclusion but […]
Read more "Ratio Decidendi II"It is well settled, an Arbitration Agreement is distinct and separate; independent from the substantive commercial contract in which it is embedded. Autonomy of Arbitration Agreement is based on twin concepts of separability and kompetenz – kompetenz; which, though inter-related, are distinct. Doctrine of Separability of Arbitration Agreement connotes, invalidity, ineffectiveness or termination of the […]
Read more "Referred to Larger Bench XXV: Doctrine of Separability of Arbitration Agreement"An election of remedies arises when two concurrent remedies are available and the aggrieved chooses to exercise one, in which event he loses the right to simultaneously exercise the other for the same cause of action. Doctrine of Election was discussed in A.P. State Financial Corporation, (1994) 2 SCC 647; P.R. Deshpande, (1998) 6 SCC […]
Read more "The Doctrine of Election"Arbitral Process is strictly conditioned upon time limitation. This Court in P. Radha Bai v. P. Ashok Kumar, (2019) 13 SCC 445 observed: “Section 34(3) reflects the principle of unbreakability. According to this ‘unbreakability’ of time-limit and true to the ‘certainty and expediency’ of the Arbitral Awards, any grounds for setting aside the Award that […]
Read more "Section 34(3) of The Arbitration Act II"
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